Buffing wheel of woven fabric with warp yarns arranged radially, and method of making same



Nov. 12, 1963 w J. MILLER BUFFING WHEEL OF WOVEN FABRIC WITH WARP YARNS ARRANGED RADIALLY, AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Jan. 10, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. WILL/AM I MILL El? 3,110,138 N FABRIC WITH WARP YARNS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R R i: F. m L I z W M M e m 2 u Lllllili M 1963 w. J. MILLER BUFFING WHEEL OF WOVE ARRANGED RADIALLY, AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Jan. 10, 1962 BY 7 am ATTORNEYS United States Patent "ice 3,119,138 EUFFENG WHEEL OF WGVEN FABRIC WITH WAR? YARNS ARRANGED RADIALLY, AND METHOD OF MAKENG SAP/E William .l. Miller, Qouover, N.C., assignor to Jackson Bufi tjorporation, a corporation of North Carolina Filed .Tan. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 165,378 3 Claims. ((31. 51193) The present invention relates to an improved buifing wheel and the method of making same, and more particularly to a buifiing wheel made of woven fabric with the fabric arranged so that the warp yarns extend radially with respect to the buff to position the ends of the warp yarn against the article being bulfed and thereby provide improved buthng action.

At the present time woven bufiing material is conventionally cut along a bias and the material formed into a buffing wheel with the bias cut edge at the periphery of the buffing wheel, thereby presenting both the warp and filling yarns at 45 angles to the periphery and to the work piece. Heretofore this bias arrangement has been considered as providing the most desirable bufiing action.

However, we have discovered that a significant improvement in bufiing action is obtained by arranging the woven buffing fabric with the warp yarns extending radially, which presents the ends of the warp yarns perpendicular to the periphery of the buffing wheel. This arrangement of the warp yarn, which is generally stronger and more durable than filling yarn, provides increased strength, durabi ity and bufling action. In addition, this arrangement positions the filling yarn annularly so that only the outer filling yarns will be acting against the work piece while the inner filling yarns will remain woven with the warp yarns to hold the warp yarns in place. This is an advantage over bias cut buffing material wherein the filling yarns, as well as the Warp yarns, are arranged with their ends exposed to the work, with the result that the filling yarns are pulled from their woven positions by the buffing action, causing the weave to open and the butt to break down.

The present invention is applicable to all types of buiis made with woven fabric. In the preferred embodiment the present invention is incorporated in a bufling wheel having a plurality of woven fabric layers with the edges of the layers at the periphery of the bufiing wheel, and with the fabric arranged so that the warp yarns are extending radially with respect to the wheel and the filling yarns are extending annularly.

This bufing wheel is formed from woven bufiing material, cut fillingwise into strips and with the strips secured together endwise to form a continuous strip having filling yarns extending longitudinally and warp yarns extending transversely. This continuous strip is then wound upon itself to form a multi-layer tube with the warp yarns extending longitudinally of the tube. The middle of the tube is then drawn in and the edges of the tube folded outwardly to present the edges of the layers in a circular periphery with the warp yarns extending radially and the filling yarns extending annularly. These layers are then secured in a base for use in a bufiing operation.

The features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a bufling wheel incorporating the preferred embodiment of the present invention and showing a portion of the bufiing wheel against a work piece;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the periphery of the bufiing wheel of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the bufiing wheel against a work piece;

BAN-J38 Patented Nov. 12, 1963 FIG. 4 is a plan view, partially broken away, of a sheet of woven buffing fabric and indicating the lines along which it is to be cut to form strips for use in the formation of the buifing wheel of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view, partially broken away, of a continuous strip of bufiing fabric formed from strips cut from the fabric of FIG. 4, with their ends secured together; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cylindrical form with a continuous strip partially wound thereon preparatory to forming of the strip into the bufiing wheel of the present invention.

For purposes of illustration the present invention is shown incorporated in a buffing wheel 10 of the type shown in FIG. 1. This bufiing wheel 10 comprises an outer bufing portion 12 formed of a plurality of layers of woven buiiing material. The outer bufiing portion 12 is mounted in an inner supporting base or lacing 14 which holds the layers of the buffing portion 12 together to form a unitary buff. If desired, the lacing 14 may be secured in a hub (not shown) with the hub being mounted on a shaft and the shaft being driven to cause rotation of the butting wheel 1% and provide a buffing action when the periphery of the bulfing wheel it is directed against a work piece, such as that illustrated in 16 in FIG. 1.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 the woven buffing material of the outer buffing portion 12 is arranged with warp ymns 18 extending radially with respect to the bufiing wheel it and filling yarns 23 extending annularly with respect to the buffing wheel. Thus the ends 22 of the warp yarns L; are presented perpendicular to the periphery of the butting wheel it) and will be directed against the work piece 16 when the buffing wheel 10 is rotated thereagainst.

Also as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 the filling yarns 29 extend annularly with respect to the bu ing wheel 19 and only the outer filling yarns will be in a contact with the work piece 16.

The binding wheel of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is formed from a sheet 24 (FiG. 4) of woven bufiing material. This sheet 24 is out along spaced lines 24 extending parallel to the filling of the woven sheet 24 to form strips 28 having warp yarns extending transversely and filling yarns extending longitudinally. These strips 28 are secured together to form a continuous strip 3t? by securing the ends 32 of the strips 28 together, as by stitches 34.

The continuous strip 3% is then formed into the outer bufiing portion i the bufling wheel ill on a cylindrical form 36. The continuous strip 30 is wound fiat on the surface of the cylindrical form 36 a number of times to provide the desired number of layers in the outer buffing portion 12. The cylindrical form 36 is formed with a slot 38 in its periphery at the middle of the wound strip 36 so that the strip 39 can be drawn into the slot 33 by a drawstring or other conventional forming mechanism, thereby folding the strip 39 upon itself to position the layers in a radial plane with their edges 40 forming a circular outer periphery. When the strip 39 is wound on the form 36 the warp yarns extend longitudinally of the form and as a result when the strip is drawn in on the form the warp yarns will be arranged to extend radially.

The form 36 may be made in separable halves so that the form can be removed from the drawn in strip 30. The lacing 14 is then secured to the inner edge of the layers 12 and the layers are secured together by stitching 4-2 adjacent the lacing 14.

In one example of the present invention the buifing wheel is formed from a sheet of conventional 250 weight woven bufling fabric having a thread count of 86 x 93. The sheet is 40 inches vn'de and is out along the filling at 10 inch intervals to form strips 40 inches long and 19 inches wide. These strips are sewn together at their ends to form a continuous strip which is formed into a butt. using a conventional forming drum.

The present invention has been described above for purposes of illustration only, and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: a

1. A buifing wheel having a central base portion and an outer bufling portion supported on said base portion, said bufiing portion comprising a continuous strip of nonspiral Woven bufling fabric formed of a plurality of strips secured together endwise with their warp yarns extending transversely to the length of the strip, said continuous strip folded lengthwise With the fold abutting the base portion and the fabric on either side of the fold arranged edgewise with respect to the base portion and 7 extending a plurality of times around said base portion to provide a plurality of layers, said fabric having warp yarns extending radially and filling yarns extending annularly.

2. A method of forming a buffing wheel comprising cutting woven buffing fabric fillingwise into strips, securing said strips together endwise to form a continuous strip, winding said strip to form a multi-layer tube, drawing in the middle of the tube between its ends to fold the layers of the tube to exend perpendicular to the axis thereof with the warp yarns extending radially and the filling yarns extending annularly, and securing the inner edge of said wound strip in a supporting base.

3. A method of forming a bufiingwhe-elcomprising cutting woven buffing fabric fillingwise into strips, securing said strips together endwise to form a continuous strip, winding said strip a plurality of times around a cylindrical form to provide a plurality of layers of fabric on the form with warp yarns extending parallel to the axis of the cylindrical form, drawing said wound strip into an annular slot in the form to fold said plurality of layers into a radial plane and'position said warp yarns radially and the filling yarns annularly, and securing the inner edge of the folded layers in a supporting base.

References Cited in the iiie of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 291,709 Fowler Jan. 8, 1884 2,9( 8,ll7 Hall Oct. 13, 1959 2,936,553 Jones May 17, 1960 

1. A BUFFING WHEEL HAVING A CENTRAL BASE PORTION AND AN OUTER BUFFING PORTION SUPPORTED ON SAID BASE PORTION, SAID BUFFING PORTION COMPRISING A CONTINUOUS STRIP OF NONSPIRAL WOVEN BUFFING FABRIC FORMED OF A PLURALITY OF STRIPS SECURED TOGETHER ENDWISE WITH THEIR WRAP YARNS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY TO THE LENGTH OF THE STRIP, SAID CONTINUOUS STRIP FOLDED LENGTHWISE WITH THE FOLD ABUTTING THE BASE PORTION AND THE FABRIC ON EITHER SIDE OF THE FOLD ARRANGED EDGEWISE WITH RESPECT TO THE BASE PORTION AND EXTENDING A PLURALITY OF TIMES AROUND SAID BASE PORTION TO PROVIDE A PLURALITY OF LAYERS, SAID FABRIC HAVING WRAP YARNS EXTENDING RADIALLY AND FILLING YARNS EXTENDING ANNULARLY. 